Mamata walks,Buddha stands

In contrast,her chief opponent Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has confined himself largely to his own constituency. Of the 15-odd public meetings the Chief Minister has addressed so far,10 have been in Jadvapur.

Mamata began with a 7-km walk on the southern outskirts of Kolkata,covering four Assembly constituencies on Sunday. On Tuesday,she followed it up with another 10 km from Tala Park in the north to Beliaghata in the east,covering four to five constituencies. This will be followed over the next few days with 6 km from Park Circus to Rajabazar,through the city’s Muslim areas; then 6-7 km from Gariahat to Garia and another walk from Ekbalpore to Garden Reach.

Walking was an effective tool of communication during the freedom struggle,says Hosainur Rehaman,a writer who studied under Mahatma Gandhi’s secretary Dr Nirmal Bose. “It brings you instantly in contact with the people; the leader and the masses are on a level field,” says Rehaman,comparing it with stage addresses.

Party leaders attribute the long walks to more mundane reasons like a ban on microphones because of exams. “But even without the ban,she would have been fond of padayatras. After all,age is on Didi’s side,” they say,a reference to the fact that most in the key CPM leadership are touching or past 70.

“She has a smile on her face while walking. She communicates well with a wave of her hands or with a simple gesture of folded hands. It works better than holding a stage meeting and giving speeches,” says Rajorshi,who works in a BPO.

“We rarely see Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee with a broad smile. When he does smile,it is more often than not a mark of sarcasm about his political rivals,” says Rajorshi.

In 2006,party managers say,Bhattacharjee had held just about four public meetings and one march through his constituency. A dip in the Left’s vote count in polls since perhaps explains why he has stuck to his constituency this time.

In their speeches too,the two leaders have been different. Bhattacharjee has been harping on retribution for his own party’s erring comrades. “Don’t boss the people. Instead move from door to door and admit your mistakes,” has been read as an appeal to voters to “forget and forgive”. At another level,he has accused the Railway Minister of false promises and said,“Not one industry will come up under such leadership.”

For Mamata,the theme has been the actual failure of the Left to deliver on promises made over 34 years. “People of Bengal have given too long a rope for this government to hang itself. It is already in its death throes; we will hold the cremation on May 13.”